Speakout Advanced p 98. Brainstorming Ways To Save Time. Listening

Since we have massive reading lists, I just 1________ the conclusion, from which I make 2___________ notes.
When I have my hands full I bring my lunch in a 3____________ .
Microwaves are not everybody's cup of tea but they are a real 4______________.
If you make lists, you can 5_____________ particular times to particular tasks. In this way you can make all your phone calls 6___________. You can also 7_________ things off. 8_________ you, if it is a lengthy list, I am bound to 9_______________.
If I have to assemble 10___________ furniture, I just 11___________ at the instructions instead of having read them carefully before I 12_________. In the 13__________ it would have been useful. I have been 14___________ like that more than once.
What I find most 15_______________ is having to 16____________ a computer problem myself.
If you pay a 17__________ you can ring a computer expert 24/7.
To avoid having to go to a place and find it closed we should 18__________.

KEY
1. skip to
skip: to leave out something that would normally be the next thing that you would do, read, etc. E.g.
You can skip the next chapter if you have covered the topic in class. I suggest we skip to the last item on the agenda.



2. bullet point 
bullet point: an item in a list in a document, that is printed with a square, diamond or circle in front of it in order to show that it is important. The square, etc. is also called a bullet point. E.g. use bullet points to remind you what to say.



3. Tupperware
/ˈtʌpəweə(r)/

have your hands full: to be very busy or too busy to do something else. E.g. She certainly has her hands full with four kids in the house. 



4. shortcut
shortcut:: 1. a quicker or shorter way of getting to a place. E.g. You can take a shortcut across the field. 2. a way of doing something that is quicker than the usual way. E.g. There are no shortcuts to economic recovery. There are no shortcuts when it comes to fitness. 

not somebody’s cup of tea

(informal) not what somebody likes or is interested in. E.g. An evening at the opera isn't everyone's cup of tea. He's nice enough but not really my cup of tea. 



5. assign



6. in one go
in one go: all together on one occasion. E.g. I'd rather do the journey in one go, and not stop on the way. They ate the packet of biscuits all in one go.





7. tick
tick something off: to put a mark (✓) beside a name or an item on a list to show that something has been dealt with. E.g. I’ve ticked off the names of all those present. It’s a good idea to tick off the jobs on the list as you do them.



8. Mind
mind (you): used to add something to what you have just said, especially something that makes it less strong. Having said that. E.g. I've heard they're getting divorced. Mind you, I'm not surprised—they were always arguing. The meal was fantastic -- expensive, mind you! He can be very disorganized. Mind you, I'm no better. He's very ​untidy about the ​house; mind you, I'm not much ​better. I ​know I'm ​lazy - I did go ​swimming ​yesterday, mind.



9. procrastinate 
procrastinate:  /prəʊˈkræstɪneɪt/ to delay doing something that you should do, usually because you do not want to do it. E.g. People were dying of starvation while governments procrastinated.

bound to do something: certain to happen. E.g. You've done so much work—you're bound to pass the exam.



10. flat-pack
flat-pack: a piece of furniture that is sold in pieces in a flat box and that you have to build yourself. E.g. You can buy the kitchen as a flat-pack for self-assembly. 



11. glance
glance: to look quickly at something/somebody. E.g. She glanced at her watch. 




12. embarked 
embark on/upon something: (formal) to start to do something new or difficult. E.g. She is about to embark on a diplomatic career. Remember these basic rules before embarking upon major home improvements.



13. long run

in the long run: at a ​time that is ​far away in the ​future. E.g. This measure inevitably means higher taxes in the long run. It ​seems a lot of ​effort but I'm ​sure it's the ​best ​solution in the ​long run.

 

 

 

14. caught out

catch sb. out: 1. to surprise somebody and put them in a difficult position. E.g. Many investors were caught out by the fall in share prices. 2. to show that somebody does not know much or is doing something wrong. E.g. They tried to catch her out with a difficult question.

 

 

 

15. time-consuming

time-consuming: taking or needing a lot of time. E.g. a difficult and time-consuming process. It’s quite time-consuming having to check all the labels individually. 

 

 

 

16. sort out

sort out: to deal with somebody’s/your own problems successfully. E.g. If you can wait a moment, I'll sort it all out for you. You load up the car and I'll sort the kids out. 

 

 

 

17. yearly fee

fee: amount of money. 

 

 

 

18. phone first